Kathmandu, August 20

The Bagmati clean-up campaign has reached its 171st week today, and collected 25 tonnes of garbage from the Tripureshwor and Gunsingal stretch of the Bagmati River.

Around 650 representatives from Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City, High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilisation, Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, among thirty-five other organisations participated in today’s clean-up campaign.

The committee’s sociologist Mala Kharel said those found littering along the banks of the Bagmati River were being fined. “We have collected Rs 81,000 in fine from litterers last week and Rs 25,000 this week,” said Kharel.

The campaign also continued its door-to-door awareness campaign this week.

Today’s clean-up campaign was led by former secretary at Drinking Water and Sanitation Suresh Prakash Acharya and Lalitpur Sub-metropolis Executive Officer Bharat Mani Pandey.

As part of the clean-up of the Rudramati River – now into its 130th week – the campaigners scooped up rubbish from Kamalpokhari. The clean-up was led by Additional Inspector General of Police Bigyan Raj Sharma, according to Chairman of the Rudramati Concern Society Basudev Marasini.

The campaign – which saw participation of 600 individuals including police officials, students, and social workers – collected six tonnes of waste.

Meanwhile, the Bishnumati River clean-up campaign, which is now in its 106th week, collected four tonnes of garbage from the Paropakar bridge area. The fallen trees at Sundhara near Paropakar bridge, which is around 300 years older than the Dharahara’s Sundhara, were removed, a campaigner Bijendra Lama said.

Likewise, as part of the Nakhu River clean-up campaign, which is in its 51st week, garbage was collected from around the Ganesh temple in Safal Park at Karyabinayak Municipality.